Bronze Finials on the Upper Bridge

Onion-shaped ornamental finials called giboshi (literally “faux jewel”) are common on bridges across Japan, made of bronze in traditional style. Many of them, however, were made recently to replace their older incarnations that had been lost in time.

In the city of Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, a set of 18 bronze finials has been designated as an Important Cultural Property. They sit on Kami-no-hashi, or the Upper Bridge, built over the Nakatsu River in 1609 to coincide with the completion of Morioka Castle. Eight of the finials are dated to its construction and 10 to 1611. An unusual site not found elsewhere in Japan.

The original Upper Bridge has been lost in a flood, and several of its successors have also been destroyed throughout its history—the current bridge dating from 1935—but the finials survived. Or some of them, at least. The datings of 1609 and 1611 are inscribed on the finials, but historians believed that a few of them are actually later casts made after they were lost in floods. According to a study conducted in 1970, five of the finials are originals from 1609, nine from 1611, and the remaining four are from either 1670 or 1724. That’s an impressive record, nonetheless, and it’s a pity that many passersby cross the bridge without so much as a glance at these feudal monuments.